Neil, who is married to Hayley and has two school-age children, is Filey born and bred. He went to sea straight after leaving school: firstly with his father on the family coble fishing out of Filey then becoming skipper of the boat. Latterly, he has worked in the off-shore wind farm industry and is a skilled Coxswain both with conventional and jet-powered boats

Neil joined Filey Lifeboat Crew shortly after the current Mersey Class all-weather lifeboat,
Keep Fit Association, arrived on station in 1991 and was appointed Deputy 2nd Coxswain in 2007. He is also a Senior Helmsman on the inshore lifeboat.

He received a signed letter of appreciation from the RNLI Director of Operations for his part in a dramatic service in 2002. In very heavy seas and a full north-westerly gale, the all-weather lifeboat launched, under the command of Coxswain Malcolm Johnson, to assist a yacht just north of Filey Brigg. Malcolm skilfully manoeuvred the lifeboat to allow Neil to jump on board the yacht, but a few minutes later as he was securing a tow line, a huge wave washed Neil overboard. Luckily he had the presence of mind to grab one of the yacht’s lines and managed to haul himself back on board. The letter congratulated Neil on his bravery and resourcefulness on that day.

John Colling, Filey Lifeboat Operations Manager said: “We are delighted that Neil has been appointed to such a prestigious role. He is an excellent crew member who has the confidence and trust of everyone on station. I would also like to thank all our volunteers who have worked so hard over the last year since our previous Coxswain, Barry Robson, retired, to keep both our boats fully operational despite having no full time person able to take the big boat. We all look forward to a new era at Filey Lifeboat Station.”

Notes to editors

Filey Lifeboat Station was founded in 1804. It currently operates both a Mersey-Class All-Weather Lifeboat and an Inshore Lifeboat. To learn more about the lifeboat station go to Filey Lifeboat Station Facebook page.

Key facts about the RNLI

The Royal National Lifeboat Institution is the charity that saves lives at sea. Our volunteers provide a 24-hour search and rescue service in the United Kingdom and Ireland from 238 lifeboat stations, including four along the River Thames and inland lifeboat stations at Loch Ness, Lough Derg, Enniskillen and Lough Ree. Additionally the RNLI has more than 1,000 lifeguards on over 240 beaches around the UK and operates a specialist flood rescue team, which can respond anywhere across the UK and Ireland when inland flooding puts lives at risk.

The RNLI relies on public donations and legacies to maintain its rescue service. As a charity it is separate from, but works alongside, government-controlled and funded coastguard services. Since the RNLI was founded in 1824 our lifeboat crews and lifeguards have saved at least 140,000 lives. Volunteers make up 95% of the charity, including 4,600 volunteer lifeboat crew members and 3,000 volunteer shore crew. Additionally, tens of thousands of other dedicated volunteers raise funds and awareness, give safety advice, and help in our museums, shops and offices.